Athletic exercise has continued to grow in popularity for many reasons and for many years. Whether it be for the purpose of improving one's own health status, train for specific athletic events and sports, or even if for the basis of one's actual chosen profession, there has been and still remains a significant need, if not large segment of society, that undertakes athletic or other fitness activity of many different types and levels. Of great importance in any of these endeavors is the necessity for comfort for the athlete in question, whether a novice or a professional. As is well known and documented, any time aerobic (or anaerobic) activity occurs, the level of intensity as well as the actual status of the athlete himself or herself may create certain effects that can reduce the ultimate end result sought. For instance, a person's heart rate will invariably increase when active, setting off a chain of events involving increased blood flow, body temperature increase, carbon dioxide (and other waste products) generation, etc. The ability of the athlete in question to sustain the desired level of activity many times depends highly upon the capability of his or her body to regulate such physiological events, particularly as it concerns the necessity to avoid overheating, cramping, and/or strains on their circulatory system. For many persons, the simple answer has been to utilize cool-down intervals (sometime too often for effective workout results to take hold) if not wear certain materials that effectuate wicking of sweat and other moisture. As the body regulates its own temperature through perspiration during such activities, the ability to dissipate heat in this manner has proven somewhat successful. Adding to it the potential for external cooling sources (i.e., fans, for instance), particularly within a closed environment (i.e., gymnasium), the athlete has at least been presented with a certain degree of possible alternatives to overheating issues.
It should be evident, however, that overheating poses significant problems for athletes as well as individuals that are trying to initiate athletic activity (such as, for example, persons seeking weight loss). Lightheadedness, a lack of proper heat dissipation, and other effects associated with a lack of suitable body temperature regulation, can lead to undesirable health effects and, quite possibly, the opposite result sought through such a workout regimen. Not to mention, if the level becomes too uncomfortable (if not unbearable), the target person may become disenchanted with such an athletic activity, to his or her detriment ultimately. In other words, there is a great need to provide an effective manner of generating a comfortable workout condition for the athlete in question, but without compromising the overall level of activity needed and/or desired.
Additionally, however, it may be the case that such an athlete will require a heating effect in a colder environment in order to ensure proper circulation, dexterity, and muscle operation occurs without loss of body warmth, yet while necessarily donning clothing that does not impede or otherwise contribute to actual overheating during such a workout event. Basically, there are certainly situations where an athlete may begin a workout in an outdoor cold environment with a certain amount of clothing. As the workout (such as, for example, a long run) continues, the person will invariably exhibit an increase in body temperature such that a need for clothing removal to a certain extent becomes necessary. A garment that will accord at least a certain degree of warmth to reduce such a possibility would thus be desirable, particularly in an effort to reduce the need to overcompensate at the outset of the athlete's workout. Certainly, there are high profile (as an example, insulated fabrics, such as metallized down types, and the like) and thicker garments that allow for a wearer to retain body warmth. However, as alluded to above, these will invariably lead to the need for removal to some extent and can thus become highly uncomfortable as the athlete's body temperature rises. Thus, a garment that may provide both a heating capability in a cold weather environment as well as a cooling potential in a warm weather environment would be highly, particularly if such a garment could be a single type with great comfort for the wearer.
As noted above, this end result has not been easy to accomplish. Certainly, moisture wicking fabrics have been utilized to allow for perspiration removal for greater heat dissipation potential for a wearer. Such materials, however, are typically either breathable cotton based or synthetic fibers with certain finishes applied to effectuate a cotton-like effect to hydrophobic materials (such as a hydrophilic coating applied to polyester fibers, as one example). In either case, the utilization of cotton fabrics alone have proven rather difficult as the level of perspiration typically accorded an athlete also generates bacterial growth after use that is not easy to remove. Even with detergents and fragrances, other than undertaking chlorine bleaching, control of bacterial emissions and other highly undesirable results (i.e., highly pungent scents) is rather difficult. Combine with that the general taste level of athletes to wear non-white colors, and the capability of cotton fabric treatments to impart a necessary control level of sweat-based bacteria and other odors, has proven nearly impossible to achieve. Polyester/cotton blends suffer from similar problems, while 100% polyester and other synthetic fabrics require, as noted above, rather expensive treatments to impart the necessary moisture wicking levels. Ultimately, however, the difficulty still remains to provide a desirable level of scent control, typically undertaken through the utilization of silver ion exchange compounds and other like products applied to the fiber surfaces or, in some situations, extruded or forced into the fibers themselves. Such silver-based materials do provide a level of antibacterial activity, but at a rather high cost. As well, such materials will eventually become depleted after a certain period of time and are not replaced. Thus, in terms of athletic apparel, there still remains a need to impart a combination of effects including antibacterial activity (long-term, preferably) as well as heat dissipation. So far, as noted previously, these results have been extremely limited, if not nonexistent, in combination.
In terms, then, of providing a comfortable garment that provides both cooling and warming effects, to date, there has been no known investigation, let alone accomplishment to that end.
Beyond that deficiency within the current athletic and fitness apparel industry, there also remains a rather taxing problem on the athlete in that the metabolic processes undertaken during such a workout will generate waste products (carbon dioxide, urea, lactic acid, as examples) that can contribute deleteriously to the person's well being. The body necessarily seeks to transport such byproducts of strenuous activity, whether through respiration or via the circulatory system to the excretory system. In any event, the potential for build-up within the body, and particularly in the capillaries and tissues near the surface of the skin, has proven troublesome in the past. Cramping due to excess lactic acid, hyperventilating due to excess carbon dioxide, and other conditions related to circulatory system limitations have created problems for athletes for as long as such activities have been undertaken. The capability of reducing these potential problems without too much external interference (for instance, oxygen masks, continued water intake, and the like) has been difficult to achieve, as well. Furthermore, the necessity for such outside implements and continued ingestion of fluids can be taxing on the person's system as well as increase the expense involved. A means to reduce the dependency on such items, at least to a certain extent, is thus a significant aim in the athletic world. A relatively simple means to accord waste byproduct removal from the target athlete's body without external implements has not been made unavailable in the past. As such, there is almost a “luck of the draw” situation in place for every athlete as it concerns these issues. To make that potential playing field as level as possible would only help to maximize the benefits available for the athlete, rather than suffer limitations that are inherent with one's own physiology.
It has been shown that certain implements may actually aid at least in regulating an athlete's temperature during cool-down periods of workouts such that greater activity potential (and possibly more effective results) can be achieved. For instance, a “glove” has been developed that includes battery-powered capability of drawing heat from an athlete's hand in a controlled environment. This structure is rather expensive, certainly, and has shown a certain level of allowing for localized heat dissipation through a person's hands alone in order to allow for increased circulation and thus, presumably, increased physical activity levels. Unfortunately, the utilization of such a device is limited to those with the funds to expend for such an implement, much like the necessity for oxygen masks and continuous water intake to avoid carbon dioxide and lactic acid build-up issues. The localization of the “glove” does not appear to provide any improvements to such waste byproduct generation, nor is there any means to provide effective heat dissipation other than during an actual cool-down period. The lack of continuous results during an athlete's workout thus would require repetitive activity with breaks that necessarily entail utilization of such an external implement. Again, this adds complexity to a workout, regardless of the potential for improved physical activity levels. There thus still remains a significant need to impart beneficial effects to an athlete during physical activity to improve his or her comfort, possibly impart an anti-bacterial effect for long-term apparel usage purposes, and also potentially provide a means to improve circulation during an activity rather than solely during a cool-down period. To date, such a result, whether in terms of an actual product or a straightforward method, has yet to be provided the athletic world.